Rheinland
Rheinland, officially the People's Republic of Rheinland (German: Volksrepublik Rheinland), is an interstellar nation in the southern Sirius sector. Its capital is located on the planet of Neu-Berlin and it is considered part of the Fringe Colonies group. The name it taken from a region in the country of Germany back on oldEarth. In English, the region is spelled Rhineland. History Arrival The fourth sleeper ship to arrive, the Germans aboard the Rheinland had no choice but to settle the harsh southern worlds of the Walker nebula. Theirs became the vast mineral riches of Sirius: gold, silver and diamonds being found in abundance. The price for this was that they were forced to live on the harshest of worlds among the four founding houses, their planets were cold, freezing globes akin to the arctic and polar regions of Old Earth. The capital, Neu-Berlin, had days and nights that were each a year long and Rheinland fared badly, population size having to be limited untol the colonization of Stuttgart, which put an end to the food shortages and famine that had plague it for nearly a hundred years. Because of this, Rheinlanders are said to harbour considerable resentment towards the other colonies, even if it doesn't show. The Failed Era More problems arose in the 700s, when Rheinland got immersed in the 80-Years War against the Kusari-borne Gas Miners Guild. A war that they lost with disastrous consequences to follow. After the war, Rheinland was forced to pay war reparations and became indebted in ridiculous amounts to Kusari and the GMG and was plunged into economic crisis. With its coffers empty and its war machine utterly decimated, it was engulfed in a violent revolution as workers lashed out against the unfair treatment by their employers and the horrendous working conditions of Rheinland plants, as well as the failure of the government to better the situation. The Popular Revolution, as it was called, ended with the abolishment of monarchy and the enacting of laws to protect workers. A democratic form of government was established, but was soon exploited and undermined by the same people it had been created to restrict. By the onset of the 800s, Rheinland was pretty much what it had been before the revolution: albeit more corrupt and piracy rampant. With the advent of the Nomad Wars, its leaders were infested and mind-controlled by the alien species known only as Nomads. Rheinland then quickly isolated itself, armed up and tranformed into a military dictatorship under Chancellor Niemann. Resurgence After the Nomad ars, Rheinland was once again devastated, this time more than ever. With debts still unpaid and yet more having been incurred, the war machine once again destroyed and all the leaders dead, Rheinland was plunged into violent anarchy for over seven years. It reemerged only after the Bundschuh secured control over Stuttgart and reconquered Rheinland from there. They established a new democratic government, wrote a new constitution and refused to acknowledge their foreign debts, claiming it was the fault of a former incompetent and then illegitimate regime. This effectively isolated Rheinland from the rest of Sirius. It wasn't until the emergence of Hispania and the Federation that Rheinland has a chance to start anew. In 822 AS, a military alliance and friendship treaty was signed with Hispania and in 834, the FINS joined. This led to a ten year long Cold War between the fringe power and the core houses that only ended with the arrival of the "new" colonies in 845 AS. Society Rheinland is administered as a unitary state with a Chancellor or Kansler, elected by popular vote every four years, as the head of state with executive power. The legislative power is vested in a unicameral elected assembly that is also elected on a four year basis, although always a year before the chancellor. Administration is then divided into planets (which also control the systems) provinces and municipalities with a great deal of self-rule and authority so as to minimize the bureaucratic hassle characteristic of the old republic. Ultimately however, the all answer to the central government. All sub-entities are ruled by institutions that mirror those at the national level. Military Rheinland's military is the strongest in all of Sirius, placen Serica and Ruthenia right below, and being allied with the fifth strongest, Hispania, gives Rheinland quite a bit of leeway in the international forums. The Federation is also its ally, but need Rheinland more than Rheinland needs it, as it is the weakest of the militaries of Sirius, only capable of defending itself. Economy Rheinland is rich in minerals and its chief exports are gold, diamonds and silver. It also has enough basic metal deposits to sustain itself while MOX, something in great demand by its neighbour and ally Hispania, also tops the list of exported products. Besides this, Rheinalnd is also a major producer of luxury foods, with extensive and expansive farms and fields found on the planets Stuttgart and Bremen. It mostly imports construction materials of all sorts and alien artefacts from Hispania and other ready-made goods, as well as some metals it doesn't have of its own from the Federation. The great market among the elite and Rheinland's many museums and galleries for alien artefacts max Rheinland a net imported of these trinkets from Hispania, even seconding Kusari. H-fuel is acquired via Hispania or the Zoners in the Sigma and Omega systems who act as the unofficial middle-men between Kusari and the fringe colonies. a trade embargo hinders any sort of commercial interaction the the Core Colonies. Corporations face many restrictions and regulations and are also burdened by heavy taxes, while small businesses as supported and subventioned by the state. Outsourcing is also strictly forbidden, no exceptions.